Report: More Michigan children living in poverty

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By Associated Press

Sault Ste. Marie Evening News - Sault Ste. Marie, MI

By Associated Press

Posted Jan. 31, 2013 at 12:45 PM

By Associated Press
Posted Jan. 31, 2013 at 12:45 PM

Lansing

The number of Michigan children living in poverty soared to more than a half-million by 2011 as many families in the state continue to face low wages, unemployment and cuts in social programs, according to a new report released today.

The annual Kids Count in Michigan Data Book found the number of children living in families with incomes below the poverty level grew 28 percent between 2005 and 2010. The report defines the poverty level for a single parent with two children as an annual income of about $18,000.

Jane Zehnder-Merrell, Kids Count in Michigan project director at the Michigan League for Public Policy, said many families are struggling to provide for children in their “formative years when they need adequate nutrition, stable housing and quality care to prepare them for adulthood.”

The report examines four areas of child well-being: economic security, health, family and community, and education. It compiles data from state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Census Bureau. The Michigan League for Public Policy, a Lansing-based group advocating for low-income residents, released the report with help from child advocacy group Michigan’s Children. The groups use indicators, such as the child poverty rate, to evaluate how Michigan children are faring in those areas of well-being.

All indicators pointing to economic security for Michigan children worsened, Zehnder-Merrell said. In addition to a swollen child poverty rate, the report showed significant increases between 2005 and 2011 in the percentage of children through the age of 5 who qualified for food assistance. The percentage of students in the state’s public school system who qualified for free or reduced price lunches also increased between 2006 and 2011.

Zehnder-Merrell said the “persistent decline” in Michigan’s economy and high unemployment were significant contributors to these trends. While Michigan’s unemployment rate has improved since 2009, it remains above the national average at nearly 9 percent.

“I don’t think most people in Michigan would say their lives have been changed dramatically by an economic upturn,” she said.